I live in small town usa, Ocean Isle Beach, the nearest town is Shallotte NC and don't get me wrong, I love where I live but it is impossible to find really good yarn. [After all, the Walmart (only place to find Knitting supplies in the county) doesn't even carry double point needles.]

I have gone on line and realize that there are many different yarns to be found and ordered on line but how do I decide when I can't feel the yarn and see the true colors of the yarn in both the sunlight and artificial light. Does anyone have a favorite that they would be willing to recommend for different projects.

Normally, I would send you some left-overs to "feel" the yarn, but sincea) the postage to US is a bit higherb) most of the yarn is a bit more on the pricy side in the US since it's german yarn that is importedand c) probably someone else around here could do it

I think it's a bit difficult to recommend yarn in general, cause different people like different yarn. And it still wouldn't tell you how the yarn "feels" like.I can understand your situation eventhough there are quite some LYS around here. I sometimes order yarn from Ebay and not always do I know it before. I had good and bad surprises with it, mostly good ones.

Maybe there's also a yarn store online that sends samples? I know two german stores that do so. At one of them you have to pay for it, but get a refund when you order something there. And if not, you could order one ball of different yarn and than return what you don't like, ordering more of what you liked. But that would depend on the return policy of the shop.

Louine...I know exactly where you live...and Ocean Isle is a beautiful place. We lived between Raleigh and Fayetteville until 3 1/2 years ago and now live in Mt. Airy...so, when we do move back toward eastern NC, I too am a little concerned with finding a yarn shop so I've been dreaming of opening one myself when we move back so I'll have access to lots of yarn and so will others as well!

I've bought from WEBS online and have been happy with their yarn and service.

Louine, I can't help, but I can commiserate with you. :crying: I also live in a small town, with Wal-Mart being the sole source of knitting supplies. I'm tired of knitting everything in Caron's Simply Soft (softest yarn Wal-Mart has). Like you, I've been fearful of what to order. Sigh...

Maybe you could try siging up for a yarn of the month club! I was in a beads of the month club and it was GREAT. You sign up, and each month they send you a little sample. I think this would be a great way to not only get a feel for different yarns, but also build up your stash! and remember, just because you join one club, it doesn't mean you're going to see all that's out there, OR thatyou haveto buy from their company. Getting the samples will let you decide what you like and then shop around for exactly what you need and the bet prices. Here is a link to the yahoo search results for "yarn of the month club" Take a look at those and see if anything strikes your fancy (some are more expensive than others).

I have got some really great yarn on ebay. I've also ordered from KnitPicks and one other shop that has low-priced Noro Kureyon, which is just the most fabulous yarn. (Haven't got the Noro yet as it backordered but Hidegarde recommened a place with the lowest prices: http://www.woolneedlework.com/index.html

I like really nice yarn. I was a little disappointed with the Knit Picks as it's very ordinary yarn, quite thin, but good prices. I've been finding I love the homespun and thicker, interesting yarn that I can find on ebay. I would recommend yarns esp from Maine... but take a look at Handspun, Handpainted yarn in Ebay and you'll see some really fantastic stuff. I also just got some beautiful Tahki Donegal Tweed from ebay.

Of course it depends on what you want to knit. I've always been disappointed with Walmart because they won't carry pure wool but yesterday of all things, I discover this fabulous all cotton yarnPeaches and Cream. I went nuts over it, since it's summer time projects, and got a bunch of beautiful colors to make some small bags and tops.

Good luck! Oh, isn't there a big wool fair in North Carolina this spring or summer? That's where I got turned on to handspun yarn, last October at a wool & sheep fair in Rhinebeck, New York. Wow, it's a great place to 'feel' the wool and find fantastic stuff.